OffshoreLaw.co.uk recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information.  As a website about offshore law we have a professional obligation to keep confidential all information we receive private.  We are committed to protecting any personal information we hold.  This Privacy Policy outlines how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy.

Your Privacy Rights

From January 1, 2004, all businesses engaged in commercial activities must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act which it incorporates.  These obligations extend to lawyers and law firms, including the website OffshoreLaw.co.uk.  The Act gives you rights concerning the privacy of your personal information.

OffshoreLaw.co.uk is responsible for the personal information we collect and hold.  To ensure this accountability, we have developed this policy, and trained our support staff about our policies and practices.

What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is any information that identifies you, or by which your identity could be deduced.
If we did not collect and use your personal information, we could not provide you with a website account and provide updates about your account status.

How do we collect your personal information?

We collect information only by lawful and fair means, and not in an unreasonably intrusive way.  Wherever possible we collect your personal information directly from you.

Consent

In all cases, we shall ask you to specifically consent, if we collect, use, or disclose your personal information.  Normally, we ask for your consent in writing, but in some circumstances, we may accept your oral consent.  Sometimes, your consent may be implied through your conduct with us.

Use of Your Information

We use your personal information to provide legal information and website account services to you, to administrate the website and understand our website visitors fully.  If you tell us that you no longer wish to receive information about our services, or about new developments in the law, we will not send any further material.

OffshoreLaw.co.uk does not disclose your personal information to any third party to enable them to market their products and services.  For example, we do not provide our client mailing lists to other legal websites or law firms.

Disclosure of your Personal Information

Under certain circumstances, OffshoreLaw.co.uk will disclose your personal information:

• when we are required or authorized by law to do so, for example if a court issues a subpoena
• when you have consented to the disclosure;
• when the legal information we are providing to you requires us give your information to third parties
  
• if we engage a third party to provide administrative services to us (like computer back-up services or archival file storage) and the third party is bound by our privacy policy;
• if we retain other law firms at your request, and on your behalf;
• if the information is Publicly Available Personal Information, as it is defined under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

Updating Your Information

Since we use your personal information to provide website services to you, it is important that the information be accurate and up-to-date so a clear channel of communication is available.

Is My Personal Information Secure?

OffshoreLaw.co.uk takes all reasonable precautions to ensure that your personal information is kept safe from loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure.  Among the steps taken to protect your information are:

• premises security;
• restricted file access to personal information;
• deploying technological safeguards like security software and firewalls to prevent hacking or unauthorized computer access;
• internal password and security policies.

Access to Your Personal Information

You may ask for access to any personal information we hold about you.

Summary information is available on request.  More detailed requests which require archive or other retrieval costs may be subject to our normal professional and disbursement fees.

Correcting Errors

If OffshoreLaw.co.uk holds information about you and you can establish that it is not accurate, complete and up-to-date, OffshoreLaw.co.uk will take reasonable steps to correct it.

Can I be denied access to my Personal Information?

Your rights to access your personal information are not absolute.  We may deny access when:

• it is required or authorized by law
  
• to do so could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual,  and the personal information cannot be severed from the record

If we deny your request for access to, or refuse a request to correct information, we shall explain why. 

Communicating with Us

You should be aware that e-mail is not a 100% secure medium, and you should be aware of this when contacting us to send personal or confidential information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Since OffshoreLaw.co.uk regularly reviews all of its policies and procedures, we may change our Privacy Policy from time to time.

Employment Inquiries

If you apply to OffshoreLaw.co.uk for a job, we need to consider your personal information, as part of our review process.  We normally retain information from candidates after a decision has been made, unless you ask us not to retain the information.  If we offer you a job, which you accept, the information will be retained in accordance with our privacy procedures for employee records.

Web Site

Our website contains links to other sites, which are not governed by this privacy policy.

On our website, like most other websites, we may monitor traffic patterns, site usage and related site information in order to optimise our web service.  We may provide aggregated information to third parties, but these statistics do not include any identifiable personal information.